Jump Start # 2584

Matthew 15:30 “And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.”

I am currently teaching a class on the miracles of Jesus. It’s a focused and detailed look at miracles from up close as well as what we call the 32,000 foot view. Fascinating discoveries! Great stuff! These videos and outlines can be found on our website (charlestownroad.org).

Our verse is one that brings some interesting thought in our study. So many sick and injured people were brought to Jesus. The crowds looked more like an emergency room than a Sunday church audience. Tucked here in our verse today are a couple of words that are so easy to miss: lame and crippled. There they are, lame and crippled, right beside each other. It’s easy to think that they are the same. A lame person is crippled and a crippled person is lame. But why two words? Why say the same thing if they are the same thing? The King James uses the words lame and maimed.

Lame carries the idea of a birth defect or a disease. Crippled or maimed is the result of an injury or an accident. And, one can just imagine how easy that would have been in the first century. Stone masons having a wall fall on them. Someone getting run over by a cart. Someone being kicked by a mule. Accidents. Injuries.

Now, here are some interesting things to see:

First, Jesus never seems to scold anyone for how they got injured. Every fourth of July someone gets hurt by fireworks. Often, it’s foolishness that gets them in trouble. Taking risks that are not necessary. Climbing up on things that one shouldn’t climb on. Jesus wasn’t the parent. He didn’t tell the crippled and maimed, ‘You shouldn’t do that.’ Jesus never seems to ask the “why” question. Why did you do that?

Second, Jesus never seems to give safety lessons to prevent future injuries. He doesn’t seem to take the time to show a better way of doing things. He doesn’t set forth a policy to prevent injuries. He healed. He fixed. He restored. But he left it up to us to figure out better ways of doing things.

Third, Jesus doesn’t favor the lame over the crippled. He doesn’t have a policy of birth defects or dieseases come first. He doesn’t discriminate who or how one got the way he did. Was it something that you couldn’t help? Were you born this way? Were you injured doing something dumb? Was it a work mishap? Were you too proud to ask for help? There is an old story about a guy showing up at the ER of a hospital. He told the emergency doctor that he thought he broke his arm in two places. The doc said, “Stay out of those places.” Funny joke. You don’t find Jesus saying things like that.

Fourth, Jesus never put qualifiers on His healing. He didn’t say, “I’ll heal you this time, but don’t do that again. If you do, I won’t help you.” That’s the kind of stuff we say. Not Jesus. Jesus never refused to heal someone because what he did was foolish and Jesus wasn’t going to waste His time on something like that. We don’t know how these people became lame and maimed. We can speculate, guess and assume, but we don’t know. We don’t know because God didn’t see the need to tell us. Jesus healed. That’s the point. He healed those who were injured. He healed those who had a crippling disease. It didn’t matter to Jesus. Some of His miracles were on people who suffered a long time. Some had blindness since birth. Some had diseases for decades. Some had their problems longer than Jesus had been on earth.

Fifth, Jesus didn’t develop a better and healthier life policy for people. He didn’t talk about diets, exercise, sanitation, or medicines. Jesus wasn’t here to prevent or eliminate sicknesses. He didn’t come to wipe out cancer. He wasn’t trying to extend life expectancies. The abundant life that He offered was spiritual. It was walking with Him. It was living now so one could live with God later. The abundant life had nothing to do with what one ate. It wasn’t about getting outside and getting some sunshine. The abundant life was internal. It was a relationship built upon God.

Finally, in many ways you and I have become maimed spiritually. And, Jesus forgives. He doesn’t ask us why and how we did what we did. He is there to forgive. And, through the Scriptures we do learn. We see with spiritual eyes the mistakes and poor choices that we made. We understand the value of good friendships that will connect us to the Lord. We learn to think better. We learn to do better. Jesus does instruct us on how to live better spiritually. He wants us to be well spiritually.

Lame and crippled—different words but they didn’t matter to Jesus. There was no sickness, disease or injury that Jesus could not make better. Likewise, there is no person that Jesus cannot help. We must be willing. He’s there to restore, forgive, and make better, if we will only allow Him.

The miracles of Jesus teach us so much about the power, position, authority, and compassion of the Lord. What a wonderful Lord we have!

Roger

Jump Start # 2583

Matthew 6:3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”

One of the things staying home during this epidemic has done is given many of us time to do household projects that we have put off for a long time. Spring cleaning took on a new look this year. Many have gone through closets, garages, attics, and basements and gotten rid of so many things that they have been holding on to for a long time.

I recently went through a bunch of pictures that were on the computer. It was time to transfer them and get them organized. It’s one thing to clean out a closet or go through old clothes that you no longer wear. But when you go through pictures, you just have to stop and look at them. And, oh the memories that they bring to your mind and heart.

There was a series of vacation pictures with the kids when they were little that I came across. Bright smiles, happy faces and wonderful times. As I looked at those little precious faces it occurred to me that they had no idea what all it took to pull off those vacations. There was the expense factor. There was packing. There was planning. There was traveling. There was taking care of things at home while we are gone. There was getting folks to fill in for me to preach and teach. The kids jumped in the car and didn’t have a clue what all we had done to make it possible. They simply enjoyed the trip.

That is not only true of family vacations, but it’s the very thing going on right now with shepherds of God’s church. Discussions are taking place about getting back to worship again. Boy, we are wanting that so bad. But, many do not realize all of the discussions, planning, thinking and talking that has gone on and continues to go on. We just can’t open the doors and expect things to be just as they were. How are we going to handle the Lord’s Supper? Do we have to sit every other pew? What about bathrooms and nurseries? What about classes? How do we keep everyone safe and how do we focus upon the Lord?

Our verse today, taken from the sermon on the mount is about giving. Don’t let one hand know what the other is doing. Physically, that isn’t possible. But spiritually, Jesus is saying do good and don’t tell others. Just do it. Don’t be bragging. Don’t expect a shout out. Don’t toot your own horn. Don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.

Now, I thought of this passage, beyond the scope of giving, but what goes on among leaders that most never think about. I know for our congregation, the leaders have had so many conference calls, often more than one a week. We can’t just open the doors and tell people, “Come.” There are so many things to think about. There are so many things to plug the deacons in with. And, what goes on behind the scenes are the kind of things that goes on all the time. The right hand and the left hand are not aware of this. Often, by the time we hear of something, the shepherds have already been talking about it and shaping plans of action. We see a family that is no longer attending. We wonder, “Why don’t the elders do something?” They have. Long before we ever thought of this, they have been working on this. Here is someone whose marriage is falling apart. By the time you and I see how bad things are, we wonder, “why aren’t the elders doing something?” They have been. Many times for months and months, they have been doing things. The right hand simply did not know what the left hand did.

So here are some things you and I can do to help the shepherds.

First, pray for them. They are traveling down roads that none of us have ever been on before. It’s one thing to cancel one service because of snow. That’s pretty obvious. But what we are experiencing is hard. Some do not think services ought to be cancelled. Ever. Some do not think it’s right to take the Lord’s Supper at home. Then there is the concern for our older members, who are at the highest risk right now. What’s best for them? Then there is trying to keep us all moving the same direction. Then there is trying to communicate with the congregation. Then there is the concern about some who are hurting financially. There is a lot going through their minds and hearts. There are physical safety concerns. There are spiritual concerns. There are emotional concerns. Pray for these dear men. They are trying their best. Their decisions are based upon what’s best for us.

Second, be willing to understand and be a team player. What if health regulations only allow fifty to assemble at a time? Which fifty? Who decides? How do they decide? How do we not hurt feelings? There will be times for the call for volunteers to help out. Don’t be a stick in the mud. Do what you can. Look among your resources and offer to share things to them.

Third, hold back on your complaints. This isn’t easy. Imagine being in their shoes right now. There is nothing to fall back on as examples to follow. There are so many things to think about, from the size of class rooms, young babies, older members, how to do things, even such as opening doors. And, everyone is a great arm chair quarterback and backseat driver. There may be adjustments that they have to make. There may be a few things that they try, but then have to stop because it’s not the best way of doing things. You and I are sitting anxiously in our homes and just want to get back to the church building and everything be just the way it was. So many things have to be done. And, when one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing, it’s easy to shoot our mouths off and say things that shouldn’t be said. We see the world from our perspective and forget about other aspects. They are trying to think of everything and everyone. They are trying to anticipate every scenario. They are thinking of things we’d never think about. Be patient with the shepherds.

Fourth, this ought to push our esteem and appreciation for the shepherds to the highest level. We preachers just preach. We can focus upon text and all we have to worry about is cameras and recording. The shepherds have all these other things to consider. They want us to be healthy, safe and walking with the Lord. Have you taken the time to thank your shepherds? They are doing so much that you would never believe or understand. Drop them a note. Send them a text. Instead of complaining to them, how about letting them know that you love them and that they have your support? How about offering your time if there is anything that you can do?

For congregations that are not led by wonderful shepherds, these are indeed dark times. Who will make all these decisions? Will anyone? Updates, open communication and keeping in touch is vital and powerful shepherds know that. Before too long, we will walk back into that church building. And, as you do that day, realize hours and hours and hours of planning, cleaning, prayers and making the tough call has been made.

One hand often doesn’t know what the other hand is doing. Be thankful that great men are at the helm through this storm. We’ll make it safely through, thanks to the Lord and the wonderful guidance of godly shepherds.

Personally, I extend my heart and thankfulness to Bill, Larry, Lee, Brent, Danny and Jim. You guys are keeping us safe and strong. You are my heroes!

Thank you!

Roger